Willy P Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Well, The last couple of days have been a little interesting. The well-known pharmaceutical company that I work for are making >60% of the employees at my site redundant (as some of you may have seen on the news) . I luckily work in an area of research that will be staying, at least for the time being. The problem is we are all pretty certain that this will shut down in the mext 2-3 years and we will all be looking for jobs. Scientific research is a very specific type of job and with other pharma companies shutting sites in the UK it leaves our country absolutely saturated with unemployed scientists with nowhere to go but to change career. So now I have a few options: - stick it out and wait until I get made redundant, then look for a new job, - Look into doing a PhD and taking a pay cut, but this would mean staying in science, which could be argued is now a dead profession, at least in the UK - Retraining in a different field (I'm still quite young at 24 years) Anyway, what would you suggest? This is a shame really, I love my job, I have been doing it since I was a pup of just 19 years. I'll stop moaning now, but if you were to retrain in a different area, what would you do? Will(y) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 some jobs going in Jaguar Land Rover or Become a landscape gardener Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Relocate to a warm part of the world and stay in research. You are but a youth, says Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cesc Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Does this company you work for start with 'N' and end with 'S'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Sorry to hear about your work situation, not good. But, at least you are getting plenty of notice. In the past when ive been made reduntant ive only had a few weeks notice! Personally id wait until you get laid off. You will get a few months salary as pay off depending on how long you have been there which in my case was 3 months pay - which easily lasted me about 8 months as I cut all my spending down big time. Changing jobs or retraining is a hard one. I work in IT and have been into IT since I was 10 and my primary school got a BBC Model B computer. Noone else at my school, incl the teachers understood it, but within weeks I was programming games. Had a natural "geek" ability with computers so followed that through uni and into my jobs. But then people started thinking there was money in IT and every man, dog, builder, plumber, carpender etc. all did IT courses and jumped on the band wagen. I knew someone who was a receptionist at the local dole office on about £12k a year - she did a 3 day course in software testing and within 12 months was getting £45k a year. So, the IT market became flooded, people like myself who had been in IT all their life were made redundant and due to competition salarys plumeted. Now all those people who jumped on the band wagen are jumping off and going back to their old trades. The builders, plumbers and sparkys I know are all earning a small fortune - certainly loads more than me who is stupid enough to stay in IT because I enjoy it. If I was to retrain I think id seriously look at becoming a plumber or builder. The builder 3 doors away from me drives a brand new Porsche GT3 (or 4... not sure which it is). I had a quote to fit a new boiler the other week and the plumbers wanted about £4k labour to fit it if I bought the boiler. In the end I got a mate to do it for a fraction of that and it only took him 2 days. £4000 for 2 days work isnt bad going and the guy was fully booked for about 2 months!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 A friend of mine works in forensics for the Police force they rely much more on that than detective work maybe look down that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 teaching? saying that the teaching job market is dead at the moment and there is a whole wave of trainees this year with no jobs to go too. we're also facing redundency's as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Did you know also that every IT, banker and every other office bloke heard plumbers were on 60k a year and signed up for a then Corgi course to find out there's a lot more to than going to a classroom and learning how to solder a joint. Willy, I noticed were you live and tell you what I would do if I were you. Stick the job out your at at least going to get some redundency money at the end of it, meanwhile go sign up to be a London Black Cab Driver get a moped and do the Knowledge if you get stuck into it and join a knowledge school you should be able to be a Black Cab driver withing 21/2 to 3 years in time for maybe your redundancy. With the money you could either buy a cab outright or rent one weekly I'll tell you the pro's and con's of plumbing and cab driving. I'm a builder with qualifications in carpentry and also Gas Safe qualified to install central heating yes we do earn big money sometimes, but we have to go out there and find our work so every week is different nobody pays me holiday pay. On the other hand take my brother a London Cab driver he works when he likes it's totally up to him he get's into his cab puts the light on nearing London (he lives in Cambridge) and gets a job form then on until you want to stop working your going to at some time be taking money and I can tell you it's very good money (have you ever seen a poor Black Cab driver) most round my way have huge houses and live on the golf course. Don't get me wrong I love my job I have worked hard to get where I am but it is hard manual work if I had my time again years back I should have done the knowledge with my brother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy P Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Does this company you work for start with 'N' and end with 'S'? Got it in one Cesc, thought you might have heard about it seeing as you're only up the road teaching? saying that the teaching job market is dead at the moment and there is a whole wave of trainees this year with no jobs to go too. we're also facing redundency's as well. You know all those other scientists that have been made redundant? Pretty sure they've all gone down this route. Not to mention my Mum was a teacher and hated it so I have only negative thoughts about teaching. I can't imagine teaching something I am so passionate about to people who really don't care A friend of mine works in forensics for the Police force they rely much more on that than detective work maybe look down that route. I did think about this but I then realised it would probably be a little boring seeing as it's probably just routine molecular work. I will look into it though I think AAAaaagggh, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy P Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Sorry to hear about your work situation, not good. But, at least you are getting plenty of notice. In the past when ive been made reduntant ive only had a few weeks notice! Personally id wait until you get laid off. You will get a few months salary as pay off depending on how long you have been there which in my case was 3 months pay - which easily lasted me about 8 months as I cut all my spending down big time. Changing jobs or retraining is a hard one. I work in IT and have been into IT since I was 10 and my primary school got a BBC Model B computer. Noone else at my school, incl the teachers understood it, but within weeks I was programming games. Had a natural "geek" ability with computers so followed that through uni and into my jobs. But then people started thinking there was money in IT and every man, dog, builder, plumber, carpender etc. all did IT courses and jumped on the band wagen. I knew someone who was a receptionist at the local dole office on about £12k a year - she did a 3 day course in software testing and within 12 months was getting £45k a year. So, the IT market became flooded, people like myself who had been in IT all their life were made redundant and due to competition salarys plumeted. Now all those people who jumped on the band wagen are jumping off and going back to their old trades. The builders, plumbers and sparkys I know are all earning a small fortune - certainly loads more than me who is stupid enough to stay in IT because I enjoy it. If I was to retrain I think id seriously look at becoming a plumber or builder. The builder 3 doors away from me drives a brand new Porsche GT3 (or 4... not sure which it is). I had a quote to fit a new boiler the other week and the plumbers wanted about £4k labour to fit it if I bought the boiler. In the end I got a mate to do it for a fraction of that and it only took him 2 days. £4000 for 2 days work isnt bad going and the guy was fully booked for about 2 months!!!!! Thought about learning a trade but I'm always getting the p!55 taken out of me for my practical skills from my mates who do work in a trade. Not a good option for me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 My other half is doing a science based PhD just now. Luckily, I am able to support her so the cash doesn't matter - you can't miss it if you don't have it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 can you support me stew? im good at opening beer and shovelling snow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Engman Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Sorry to hear that, the company I worked for got taken over and so far they have made all but 6 of the previous 125 staff redundant. Depending on what you currently do (are you early phase or working on drugs once they get into patient testing) and your background you can stay in research and go to a CRO or company supplying clinical trial services. For example I work for a company supplying cardiac safety and respiratory equipment and services into all phases of clinical research and we have people from all backgrounds working in various departments. Is your company moving the research work to another location or are they outsourcing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy P Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Sorry to hear that, the company I worked for got taken over and so far they have made all but 6 of the previous 125 staff redundant. Depending on what you currently do (are you early phase or working on drugs once they get into patient testing) and your background you can stay in research and go to a CRO or company supplying clinical trial services. For example I work for a company supplying cardiac safety and respiratory equipment and services into all phases of clinical research and we have people from all backgrounds working in various departments. Is your company moving the research work to another location or are they outsourcing? Hello Engman, I am very early stage, I work on multiple targets but also screen different compounds in multiple experiments of varying functionality. My department (respiratory research) are still okay for the time being and no-one is losing their job, but another research department (different disease area) are either getting moved or made redundant. No outsourcing, just removal of some people and moving others to "refine strategic directions" and "co-locate" certain groups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 If I was to retrain I think id seriously look at becoming a plumber or builder. The builder 3 doors away from me drives a brand new Porsche GT3 (or 4... not sure which it is). I had a quote to fit a new boiler the other week and the plumbers wanted about £4k labour to fit it if I bought the boiler. In the end I got a mate to do it for a fraction of that and it only took him 2 days. £4000 for 2 days work isnt bad going and the guy was fully booked for about 2 months!!!!! +1 on that, I'm a building service hvacr engineer. Got commercial and domestic gas qualifications, electrical and air con and plumbing. The money to be made if you work for yourself is excellent. I not long turned 23 now and the only other route I fancied taking my job was offshore to chase more money. I guess I was pretty lucky with my decision to be a service engineer rather than installer (which I am also qualified to do.) good luck with the search. There is adult apprenticeships out there and although you may think its easy it really isnt. However if you really like working with your hands and dont enjoy gettin a bit dirty then it is a fantastic job to be in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gort Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Well, Anyway, what would you suggest? Emigrate to Australia http://pomsinperth.com/discussionboard/ ... d759594e50 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff-r Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Stick it out, you have time to think and you're still earning. It's mad to think science is a dying profession in the UK. I wonder what we'll be like in 50 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choptop Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Stick it out whilst looking for a new job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I would stick it out, whilst making a few "new friends" in other companies in the UK or abroad. Get your name bandied about (in a positive way of course) and you will never be out of work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Don't jump ship yet, you never know what might happen, just don't be niave and keep your ear to the ground in relation to other jobs..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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